UH affiliates with the Worker Rights Consortium – now do your part

The University of Houston administration informed us on October 15 that they will affiliate with the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC). The main goal of our campaign is for the University to sign on to the Designated Supplier’s Program (DSP). In order to sign on to the DSP a school must be affiliated with the WRC.

The WRC is an independent labor rights monitoring organization, conducting investigations of working conditions in factories around the globe. Their purpose is to combat sweatshops and protect the rights of workers who sew apparel and make other products sold in the United States. It is governed by a fifteen member board with 5 students, 5 independent labor experts and 5 university administrators. See WRC for more information.

The affiliation with the WRC gives us leverage to push administrators to pressure the brands they license our logo to when labor abuses are uncovered. For example in 2007, with strong support from students and other anti-sweatshop activists, the workers at a factory in Honduras that makes apparel for the Jerzees brand (owned by Russell Athletic) won their hard-fought struggle for union representation, an unprecedented victory. Unfortunately, Russell Athletic has moved to destroy the union at Jerzees de Honduras by announcing on October 8th that they are closing the factory. And this happened right when Russell was in the middle of negotiations with the workers over their first contract. Because of this, the workers’ gains at Jerzees de Honduras have been put in jeopardy. This closure is a direct result of the business practices of Russell.

You can join us in taking steps to stop this unjust action by Russell by clicking here: take action